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Encouragement Strategies Safe Routes to School Guide Encouragement Created February 2007 SafeRoutes National Center for Safe Routes to School This guide was developed by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) with support from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). This guide is maintained by the National Center for Safe Routes to School at www.saferoutesinfo.org. Contents Encouragement Overview ...................................................................................................... 5–1 Special Events ................................................................................................ 5–3 International Walk to School Events ............................................................................. 5–4 Other Special Events ................................................................................................... 5–5 Mileage Clubs and Contests ............................................................................ 5–7 Ongoing Activities ......................................................................................... 5–12 Walking School Buses and Bicycle Trains ..................................................................... 5–12 Park and Walk .............................................................................................................. 5–17 On-campus Walking Activities ..................................................................................... 5–18 Using More than One Encouragement Strategy ................................................ 5–20 Resources ...................................................................................................... 5–22 References ..................................................................................................... 5–23 Overview Encouragement strategies are about having fun; they from their usual routine to join in the parade of chil- generate excitement and interest in walking and bicy- dren walking and bicycling to school. Walking school cling. Special events, mileage clubs, contests and ongo- buses and bicycle trains are organized efforts that group ing activities all provide ways for parents and children to children with adults for safety and for fun while contests discover, or rediscover, that walking and bicycling are help to encourage students to walk or bicycle by offer- do-able and a lot of fun. ing rewards and recognition. Encouragement is one of the complementary strategies The ideas described in this chapter are just a sample of that Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs use to what a community can create. Divided into three cate- increase the number of children who walk and bicycle to gories, each category in this chapter includes a descrip- school safely. In particular, encouragement and educa- tion, a summary of how to conduct the activity and tion strategies are closely intertwined, working together examples of how real-life communities are “putting it to promote walking and bicycling by rewarding partici- into practice.” pation and educating children and adults about safety and the benefits of bicycling and walking. Encouragement activities also play an important role moving the overall SRTS program forward because they build interest and enthusiasm, which can buoy support for changes that might require more time and resources, such as constructing a new sidewalk. In brief, encouragement activities: • Can be quick and easy to start. • Can be done with little funding. • Can be organized by parents, students, teachers or Families walking to Saluda School in Saluda, North Carolina. community volunteers. • Focus on fun and enjoyment. • Jumpstart a community’s interest in walking and bicycling. • Show quick success and generate enthusiasm for other strategies that may require a greater invest- ment of time and resources. • Can foster safe walking, bicycling and physical activity behaviors that will be useful throughout children’s lives. • Offer teachable moments to reinforce safe walking and bicycling behaviors. There are many encouragement strategies that will be described in this chapter, such as Walk to School Days, Walking to Putnam Heights Elementary School in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. when the whole school is invited to take one day off Encouragement 5–1 Planning Encouragement Efforts That Fit the Community Answering the following questions can help a community plan encouragement activities that are the right size and reach the intended audience. An assessment of school walking routes along with surveys or informal discussions with parents, school personnel and students are ways to gather this information. • Is it safe to walk or bicycle to school? If conditions are safe for all, encouragement strategies can begin immediately. At any given school there may be one or more routes that are safe for walking and bicycling, while other routes may need improvements. Families that live along safe routes should be encouraged to use them while making safety improvements to the unsafe routes. At the same time, walking activities can be held on school grounds in areas that have unsafe routes to school. Holding a walk before, during or after the school day that takes children around the school campus can help get them excited about more walking and ready to use safe routes once they are in place. • Are there children who live near enough to school to walk or bicycle but do not currently do so? If yes, why are they not walking or bicycling? Encouragement strategies can help address the barriers. For example, would parents allow their children to walk or bicycle if they were in groups or accompanied by adults? • Do many children live too far from school to walk or bicycle? Most encouragement strategies can include children that live beyond walking and bicycling distance, such as by establishing park and walk locations so that families can walk part of the trip to school. • What is the degree of interest and volunteer involvement? This will determine the initial size of the program. Should activities start small or is there enough interest, resources, and staff or volunteers to kick off a larger effort? The encouragement activities that are chosen will be influenced by the number of children that are able to walk and bicycle from home and whether there is a desire to include children who live too far or have unsafe routes. For every activity a plan to measure the impact should be created so that volunteers and partners can find out how their work is making a difference. Encouragement 5–2 Special Events A special event is usually a one-day activity to Volunteers help plan the event, walk with children and celebrate walking and bicycling to school. Most often, give out items at the school. These events offer the added families walk or bicycle from home or from a group benefits of bringing visibility to Safe Routes to School meeting area. Signs, balloons and banners can be used to (SRTS) and related issues as well as educating families create an air of excitement and celebration. When they and the broader community about the benefits and joy arrive at the school, participants might be greeted by the of walking and bicycling safely to school. They may be school principal or a school mascot and receive snacks held once a year, such as International Walk to School and small gifts like stickers. A press conference, songs, Day, or several times during the year. flag salute or other group activity round out the event. Justin Booth Jewel Johnson International Walk to School Day at Early Childhood Center International Walk to School Day at Edgecombe Elementary, 61, Buffalo, New York. Baltimore, Maryland. Strategy: Special Event Description • Specially designated day when families walk or bicycle to school. • May include a group walk from a designated meeting point, healthy snacks, giveaways for children, an assembly, media coverage and/or the use of walkability and bikeability checklists. Advantages Considerations • Less labor intensive than ongoing activities. • Requires providing a route, or routes, that will be safe • Opportunity to engage broader community, including for all participants which may not be a route from their politicians and other community leaders, and bring vis- homes. ibility for Safe Routes to School. • Limited ability to promote daily walking to school. • Opportunity to gain media coverage. Quick steps for a special event 1. Find partners including parents, school personnel, law enforcement and community members. 2. Plan the celebration, including a safe route and any needed volunteers and incentives. 3. For International Walk to School events in the United States, register at www.walktoschool.org/register. 4. Promote the event. 5. Have fun. See www.walktoschool.org/getstarted/index.cfm for tools, activities and detailed information. Encouragement 5– International Walk to School Events International Walk to School Day, held in October each year, joins children and adults from around the world to celebrate walking and bicycling to school. This event can be a fun way to kick off an SRTS program. In fact, many participating communities use the event to work towards creating safe environments that support walking and bicycling every day. A survey of U.S. Walk to School Coordinators in 2002 found that 4 percent were working towards making perma- nent changes in conjunction with their event, and that Jen Cole percentage is on the rise.1,
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